Unique Features

'Modern Ballroom, Latin and some popular Social Sequence'. Ballroom legend Philip Wylie joins us once again for the ultimate Ballroom dance holiday, ideal for improver level upwards.

Ballroom dance has never been more popular and we bring you a wonderful opportunity to learn or perfect a new skill, meet like-minded people and keep fit in the comfort of our favourite 4* hotel in Calpe, Spain. You will enjoy at least eight hours of dance tuition throughout the week, plus revision sessions and dancing each evening.

Located on the central Eastern coastline, Spain’s Costa Blanca is a popular destination for tourists who arrive every summer to take advantage of the warm climate, sun-drenched beaches, laid-back lifestyle and lively evening culture. Calpe is situated approximately 60km from Alicante airport. With around 13.000 inhabitants, this unassuming former fishing village has become a popular resort. A distinguishing feature of the town is the “Penon de Ifach”, an imposing rock which rises from the sea and creates a unique landscape for this coastal resort.

Calpe's two main beaches, the Cantal Roig and the Playa Arenal, are renowned for their long stretches of fine sand and clear waters, perfect for swimming and also popular with surfers. Protection from the wind by surrounding mountains means that the town’s beaches generally remain warm and the sea calm.

The port comes alive in the afternoon as the daily catch makes its way inland and diners are invited to sample the fresh local seafood for dinner in one of the many restaurants surrounding the harbour. As well as a good choice of restaurants serving local specialities (the Valencian Paella is a must-try!), there is a good selection of international dining choices including Argentinian, Italian and other European cuisine. Calpe boasts some fantastic bars and clubs playing a wide range of live music including Flamenco bars and karaoke pubs which remain open until the early hours of the morning. For a wilder evening, Benidorm is just 20 minutes by bus.

Shopping in Calpe offers the usual traditional local handicrafts such as wickerwork, ceramics and leather goods, as well as a wide assortment of souvenirs jewellery and trinkets.

Accommodation

Diamante Beach**** (Half Board) (Included)

The AR Diamante Beach Spa is located on the Levante beach in the town of Calpe, a stunning location on the Costa Blanca in Spain’s Alicante province. The hotel’s unique style is characterised by its spectacular glass facade that lends an impressive source of natural illumination to the carefully designed interior.

There are no less than three outdoor pools, surrounded by attractive terraces dotted with palm trees and just a few steps from the seashore. The locally-renowned, modern Spa is one of the best on the Costa Blanca and has an additional indoor pool with water features as well as Turkish baths, sauna and an array of treatments. It has been totally renovated and opned to the public again in May 2013. There is also a gym and access to a nearby golf course.

Dining options include two a la carte restaurants serving local and international cuisine, a buffet restaurant, cafeteria and piano bar.

All 283 double rooms are attractively decorated and have large balconies, air conditioning, safe, wi-fi internet connection and private facilities and hairdryer.

In addition to the hotel rooms, we also have an exclusive arrangement with the AR Diamante Beach to use their attractive and spacious apartments (the Ambar Beach Apartments). Apartments are furnished to a high standard and offer one or two bedrooms, a large living area, balcony, kitchen facilities and bathroom (the two bedroom apartments have two bathrooms), as well as daily room service. Adjacent to the hotel and with their own pool, guests at the apartments can also use all of the hotel facilities. An ideal choice for families or groups of friends.

Unique features

'Modern Ballroom, Latin and some popular Social Sequence'. Ballroom legend Philip Wylie joins us once again for the ultimate Ballroom dance holiday, ideal for improver level upwards.

Ballroom dance has never been more popular and we bring you a wonderful opportunity to learn or perfect a new skill, meet like-minded people and keep fit in the comfort of our favourite 4* hotel in Calpe, Spain. You will enjoy at least eight hours of dance tuition throughout the week, plus revision sessions and dancing each evening.

What others have said

"The dance teacher Philip Wylie and his assistant Christine are a great team, with an excellent teaching method"

"Loved being able to relax while still having an activty to focus on"

"Overall an enjoyable week , good balance of teaching time , dancing and free time. Lots of laughter"

"Very enjoyable and felt we improved our dancing skills considerably. The mix of classes and free time was good"

"Superb tuition, lovely people, good evening dancing"

Is this for me?

This is the ideal holiday for anyone who loves to dance, from improver level upwards. On this holiday you will learn new routines and immerse yourself in the world of dance for an intensive week of classes, social events and fun in the sun. This is a holiday for all ages and abilities and is a fantastic opportunity to experience the dance fever currently sweeping the nation!

Not only will you perfect your ballroom repertoire, you will have the opportunity to chill by the pool, relax on the beach and explore the surrounding area.

Itineraries

Here's a provisional itinerary aiming to give you an idea of what your holiday will look like, however there may be some elements which will change

DAY 1
Arrival and transfer to hotel
Afternoon - Activity suggestion
2100 - Overview of the week; Welcome drink and Music and Dance session.

DAY 21000 - Learn & Improve workshop (1.5 hours)

Afternoon - Relax on the beach, chill by the pool or explore the local sights

2045 - Dance update
2115 - Music and Dance session

DAY 3
1000 - Learn & Improve workshop (1.5 hours)
Afternoon - Relax on the beach, chill by the pool or explore the local sights

2045 - Dance update
2115 - Music and Dance session

DAY 4
Free day to enjoy the hotel and surroundings

2030 - Music and Dance session.

DAY 5 1000 - Learn & Improve workshop (1.5 hours)
Afternoon - Relax on the beach, chill by the pool or explore the local sights

2045 - Dance update
2100 - Music and Dance session

DAY 6
Morning - Learn & Improve workshop
Afternoon - Relax on the beach, chill by the pool or explore the local sights

Evening - Farewell dance evening

DAY 7
Transfer to Airport

When you get there

Classes and workshops

Learn and Improve teaching sessions: Philip Wylie's specially designed 'Learn and Improve' morning teaching sessions are a brilliant way to acquire fun, enjoyable and practical get up and dance know how. Your dance course covers the rich portfolio of Modern Ballroom dances – Waltz, Tango, Slow Foxtrot and Quicksteps – with an emphasis on togetherness, floorcraft and choreography. Basic work in the popular Latin Ballroom dances of Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba and more will be included.

Dance venue: All the dancing conveniently takes place in the hotel.

Music and Dance Evenings: During the evenings Philip would like to offer informal tuition as appropriate for individual couples on a more personal basis than during the group sessions. Please don’t hesitate to chat through the possibilities and Philip will try to help with practical advice as well as recap some of the choreography of the morning workshops if required.

Singles: Whilst those booking without a partner will be amply catered to in the classes, it is worth noting that Modern & Latin as a dance does attract couples. This might be a consideration from a social perspective on the holiday. If you are booking on your own, we will confirm your booking once we got a Dance partner with the same Dance level as you.

The main dances in modern ballroom area:
• The Waltz - Slow waltz, (Think “Come Away with Me” by Norah Jones)
• The Quickstep - As the name suggests – fast! (Think Nat King Cole’s “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” or “I’m the King of the Swingers” a la Jungle Book!)
• Foxtrot - Smooth as silk – (Think Frank Sinatra’s “I’ve got you under my skin” or Michael Buble’s “Just Haven’t met You Yet”)
• Ballroom Tango – Usually quite dramatic – (Think “Phantom of the Opera” or Fernando’s Hideaway”)

The Waltz – Stems from one of the oldest folk dances, which was usually danced to a faster tempo - more like the Viennese Waltz. This was refined and slowed-down for ballroom waltz to emphasise the flowing and smooth nature of the music.
It is the most danced of all the ballroom dances and along with quickstep the first you would normally learn. The famous 1-2-3 music beat makes it fairly basic to follow and relatively easy for a beginner to pick up basic steps within a short period. To master the dance and make it look really good takes a lot of dedication and therefore a good ballroom holiday would help to enhance.

The Quickstep – Very fast and fun! Along with the waltz one of the first dances you would normally learn in ballroom. The slow-slow-quick-quick-slow rhythm is quite easy to follow and therefore relatively easy for beginners to get the hang of the basic steps and quickly be able to move round a dance floor.
To become really good needs a lot of practise and energy. So most people stick to the basics with one or two fancy steps to impress. A ballroom holiday would allow a beginner to learn enough to join in a dance and more experienced dancers to add to their repertoire or polish their style.

The Foxtrot (Also known as Slow-Foxtrot) – The most difficult of the modern ballroom dances, yet often the most beautiful music (Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, Ella Fitzgerald etc) and that is why many people will go through the pain and frustration of learning it. You would usually learn basic waltz and quickstep before starting on foxtrot, as you need to have some idea of timing and how to move with the music.

You start by being mystified by the complexity of the steps, which make no sense at all at the beginning. Then suddenly you get it - and you link it in with the wonderful music - and it was all worthwhile!

A ballroom holiday gives you the concentrated tuition and practise needed to pick the basics up in a relatively short time and for the experienced dancer, allow you to build on the grace and flow of this beautiful dance.

Your teachers

Philip Wylie is one of the leading figures in Modern and Latin dancing. A former professional competitor himself, he is now one of the most prominent teachers of the Modern style in the UK, enjoying an extremely well respected reputation. He has a strong background both in competitive and social dance, and through ‘Holiday & Dance’ Philip is already very experienced in running dancing holidays and events.

Philip will be accompanied by his regular partner Christine Parsons.

What to expect

On Arrival: You will receive a detailed itinerary.

Club Dance Holidays Host: Philip Wylie will be your host. He will be happy to help you with any questions that you may have.

Welcome Drink: At the start of the week, Club Dance Holidays will invite you to an informal welcome meeting and drink.

Free Time: We encourage you to explore the local area and make use of the excellent hotel facilities. This can be done when you please around the activities and dance classes that we have organized for you. Reception will be on hand for any queries you may have about the local area.

At your destination

Banks and Money: The easiest way to buy obtain euros is by using a credit card at the cashpoints. You can buy small amounts, as often as you like, at any time, without queuing. You will need to know your P.I.N. Bank opening hours are normally 9.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. Banks will change cash, travellers cheques and will sell you currency on your credit card providing the lines are open. You will always need to show your passport at a bank.

Nightlife

You'll be able to put into practice what you have learnt in the company of your teacher and fellow students with ‘Music and Dance’ on seven evenings. All the dancing conveniently takes place in the Hotel. The best recorded music will be presented during the evening so you can show off your moves!

Learning experience

Learn and Improve teaching sessions: Philip Wylie's specially designed 'Learn and Improve' morning teaching sessions are a brilliant way to acquire fun, enjoyable and practical get up and dance know how. Your dance course covers the rich portfolio of Modern Ballroom dances – Waltz, Tango, Slow Foxtrot and Quicksteps – with an emphasis on togetherness, floorcraft and choreography. Basic work in the popular Latin Ballroom dances of Cha Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba and more will be included.

A ballroom holiday gives you the concentrated tuition and practise needed to pick the basics up in a relatively short time and for the experienced dancer, allow you to build on the grace and flow of this beautiful dance.

Saturday 15th September - Transfer will depart the hotel at 10:00, arriving to Alicante airport for 11:00. We would recommend your flight departs no earlier than 13:00.

Please let us know your flight details.

Finding your Hotel

We provide shuttle transfers from Alicante Airport, providing you arrive between 9am and 6pm on the start day of the holiday and depart on the end day of the holiday.

If you are arriving on a different day you can easily reach your hotel by taking one of the following routes:

1) Taxi from Alicante Airport: Take a taxi for approximately €110

3) Public Transport from Alicante Airport: You can take a direct bus from Alicante airport to Benidorm bus station. You will then need to change for a bus to Calpe. The entire journey takes around 3 hours, including waiting time.

Before you go

Before you go

Health and Fitness: There are no particular health requirements for a dance holiday. However you should be able to dance for at least two hours a day in order to be able to enjoy the workshop/socials.

Insurance, Visa and Passport Requirements: Insurance is a condition of booking. Visas may be required for non EU citizens. British nationals need a full passport to travel to Spain.